As you might have already known or figured out, I spend a lot of time airplanes. As a result, I take quite a few pictures on airplanes.

It's not that I have a job that requires me to travel a great deal. It's also not that I have a ton of money and can just afford to fly around the country whenever I feel like it.

Far from it.

Nope. I married into my good fortune - like many of us guys often do.

My wife works for an airline, which means we have the opportunity to fly for free on Delta flights whenever there are seats available.

I don't fly nearly as often as Nicole, who goes somewhere almost every week, but I still spend my fair share of time in the air. Without kids or pets (RIP, Herschel), why not? It's led us on quite a few adventures over the past year, and it's given me lots of chances to take some cool pictures from my window seat on an airplane.

This past (long) weekend took us to Atlanta, San Francisco, Seattle, New York and Roanoke - all in one trip. I'll post more about that in the next few weeks, but here were a few of my favorite shots from the air during our flights.

My Review of Portillo's in Chicago

For someone who lives in the South, I’ve learned to understand the concept of taking certain fast food restaurants for granted.

For me, eating at Chick-fil-A a couple times a week is no big deal. I don’t get giddy when I have lunch at Cook-Out. Having a biscuit from Bojangles isn’t cause for a celebration. And having four different Waffle House locations in town isn’t something I share with all my family and friends.

However, put me in California and I’m asking the cab driver if he’ll take me to the nearest In-N-Out Burger.

When you live somewhere, you get used to having certain chain restaurants and don’t think they’re anything special. When you don’t have it where you live, you learn how much you appreciate it. That’s the case for me with Portillo’s.

My only experience with this popular restaurant that specializes in Chicago-style food, such as hot dogs, sausages and sandwiches, was during our trip to Chicago.

It was the first time I’d ever been to a Portillo’s, even though they have locations throughout Illinois and have now expanded to different cities out West. I hope the next step is to begin expanding to the Southeast!

During our late-night dinner, we tried the Maxwell Street Polish and a hot dog, which was served “Chicago-style” with mustard, relish, onion, tomatoes, pickles and peppers on a poppy seed bun.

I’ve said it before, but it’s worth mentioning again - a Chicago-style hot dog is the best type of dog. There’s something about the tomato/pickle/onion/relish combination as toppings that makes it fantastic. And a poppy seed bun makes it even more unique.

I wish Portillo’s would make it’s way to Virginia to share the goodness of Chicago-style hot dogs.

The Maxwell Street Polish was also delicious. It’s a grilled polish sausage topped with mustard and sauteed onions. There’s nothing complicated about it but the grilled sausage is excellent and they don’t over-complicate things with the mustard and onions. Basic. Yet still very good.

After a day full of exploring The Windy City, our meal at Portillo’s was the perfect way to end the evening. Actually, it may have been our second dinner. Second Dinner seems totally appropriate and encouraged in The Second City!

For the walk to the train station, I also ordered some vanilla custard. This is another thing I hope people in the Midwest don’t take for granted.YOU CAN GET CUSTARD ANYTIME YOU WANT! I’m so jealous of this. Actually, it’s hard enough to fit into my clothes right now so having access to custard would probably be the end of me.

Alas, I’ll dream about the custard and Chicago-style dogs at Portillo’s and cherish it when I get to return to Chicago again.

Yesterday wasn’t exactly a banner day for the Georgia Football program, with news of another off-field incident. It’s become an all-too-familiar occurrence for Bulldog fans during every offseason.

Defensive tackle Jonathan Taylor was arrested and is under investigation for a possible felony assault, which is his second offense in the past few months and could very well result in his dismissal from the team. No matter how much we hope for good news or no news during the offseason, situations like this always seem to pop up.

However, it’s only a few more weeks until our attention can shift from worrying about guys being knuckleheads off the field to discussing x’s and o’s and the excitement of what’s happening on the field.

Georgia opens the season with a huge home opener on August 30 against Clemson. Both teams have lost a considerable amount of talent from last season, but both will be looking to prove they can be serious contenders for the national championship this year.

The Dawgs found themselves in a hole after losing last season’s opener on the road at Clemson, and it will be key to avoid a situation like that again, especially with the second game being in Columbia against what should be a very tough South Carolina team.

When I look at this season’s depth chart for Georgia, it’s not a team lacking in talent.

With the recruiting success Mark Richt has on an annual basis, talent is rarely an issue in Athens.

Yes, Mike Bobo has to replace the most decorated quarterback in the history of the program. Sure, the Dawgs lost a lot of experience from last season’s offensive line. And it’s no secret that new defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt is inheriting a secondary that was a disaster last season and has to replace his two most explosive playmakers.

Yet, Bobo will be turning the reins over to a fifth-year senior who knows the system and got some experience after Aaron Murray went down with an injury last year. The offensive line is young but finally appears to be a little deeper than in past seasons and has some young guys who have potential. And Pruitt with an inexperienced group in the secondary will still probably be better than Todd Grantham with loads of talent and experience in a secondary.

To me, the biggest key for the Bulldogs this season will be about limiting the big mistakes.

How many times last season did we see the Dawgs make catastrophic mistakes where they beat themselves? Whether it was on special teams, a terrible turnover on offense, or an incredibly stupid play on defense, UGA couldn’t get out of its own way.

Against Missouri, it was a fumble that the Tigers picked up and returned for a touchdown. On the road at Tennessee, it was a disastrous punt that was blocked and recovered for a touchdown. Against Florida, it was the lateral that Artie Lynch failed to recover that allowed the Gators to get back in the game. And at Auburn, well...let’s just say Josh Harvey-Clemons and Tray Matthews will never be forgotten for their actions.

I don’t expect Georgia to be perfect this season. They’ll be far from it. Fortunately, I doubt they’ll come across any opponents who play a perfect game. While the Dawgs don’t need to be perfect, they need to avoid making the huge mistake.

Hutson Mason has to avoid the critical turnover. The special teams units have to execute the fundamentals. And the defense, particularly the secondary, has to prevent the huge plays that can shift momentum in a game.

If UGA can do that this season, beating last season’s win total of eight shouldn’t be a problem at all.

Do you think the Dawgs can avoid making big mistakes this season? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

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From Ballparks to BBQ is a blog that focuses on food, sports, and travel. Whether it's a restaurant review, game preview, or what to do in a city, I'm here to offer my thoughts and suggestions. Learn more >

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